I have a tablet that’s about ten years old. I’ve used it to read a lot of great books. Although I don’t usually install applications on it, I went to do so the other day. Despite being connected to the Internet, I was met with this message. Google Play Store HTTPS

Wondering if there was an issue with my connection, I tried to open duckduckgo.com in Chrome.

Chrome HTTPS

Ah, a certificate issue. That must be why I was unable to connect to the Google Play Store. Let’s see if there’s an update so I can install some new certificates.
Update Android

Nope!

It’s a shame that a perfectly good piece of hardware is now partially unusable. From a hardware perspective, this tablet works great and suits all my needs. However, manufacturers have product “lifespans” that don’t align with consumers’ reality. There is a right to repair movement that I think applies here. The ability to root and update this tablet would restore nearly all of its original value and functionality to me. There isn’t a root available for this tablet (because it’s so old). And trying to create one for myself would probably consume so much time that it would be more economically efficient for me to just by a new one. This of course goes towards the benefit of device manufacturers and detriment of the environment.

Device Life Cycles

It would be great to see incentives around the life cycle of devices. We all know about how everything from our phones to refrigerators are not built to last. As a consumer, I would love to pay a little more for devices like these that continue to be repairable and update-able. Until then, I will be visiting HTTP-only websites.